Convertible traveling case



April 13, 1965 A. L. WALKER 3,177,991

CONVERTIBLE TRAVELING CASE Filed Dec- 27. 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR Jrflawl. lldl'er BY I April 13, 1965 A. WALKER CONVERTIBLE TRAVELING CASE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 27, 1962 INVENTOR Ari/2m L Wm ATTORNEYS United States Patent purl 3,177,991 iIfiNVEid'iiELE TRAVELENG (BASE Arthur L. Walther, 1497 Westwood Ave, Richmond, Va. Filed Dec. 27, B62, Ser. No. 247501 8 Claims. (Cl. 1196-41) This invention relates to a portable traveling case and more particularly to a portable traveling case adapted to be converted into either a lectern having a detachable display support means or a writing desk, having a portion thereof adapted to be detached therefrom and reassembled to provide a bookstand.

In many professions and lines of business, a considerable amount of travel is required of persons including salesmen, lecturers, speakers and the like, in visiting and addressing or making presentations to various groups. Often, such groups are addressed at locations not suitably equipped for a speaker so that the speaker is confronted with the problem of hurriedly devising a temporary lectern or display stand for himself. Normally, such temporary means are insufiicient and result either in an inconvenience to the speaker or a less effective address or presentation.

Accordingly, it is the general object of this invention to provide a portable traveling case which can be converted into a lectern.

Another object of this invention is to provide a portable traveling case which can be converted into a lectern having a detachable means which can be mounted thereon for supporting a plurality of display charts.

A further object of this invention is to provide a portable traveling case which can be converted either into a lectern or a writing desk.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a portable traveling case which is adapted to be converted either into a lectern or a writing desk having a detachable member thereof which can be detached from the case and reassembled to provide a bookstand.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a portable travelin case similar to a conventional attache type case having a collapsible platform member adapted to be carried in the cover member thereof which can be assembled in cooperation with the other members of the case to provide either a lectern or a writing desk or completely detached therefrom and reassembled to provide a bookstand.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel portable traveling case being adapted to be converted either into a lectern or a writing desk having a portion thereof adapted to be detached and reassembled to provide a bookstand which is inexpensive to manufacture and easy to convert into its many uses.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the ant from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the invention in the closed position;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the invention having been converted into a leotern;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of the invention similar to FIGURE 2, having a flip chart attachment mounted thereon showing a flip chart in broken lines;

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view of the invention taken along line 4-4 also showing a portion of the invention in broken lines having been detached from its normal position and reassembled therein to provide a writing platform;

FIGURE 5 is an elevational sectional view of a portion of the invention assembled as a bookstand;

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line 6 6 of FIGURE 4; and

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line 7-7 in FIGURE 5.

According to the broad scope of the present invention, there is provided a portable traveling case comprising a shallow receptacle member and a hingedly attached cover member having a platform member with suitable leg members hingedly and detachably secured thereto adjacent a front free edge thereof which is adapted to be carried in a collapsed portion in the cover member when not in use, swung outwardly and supported by a leg member to provide a lectern, detached from the cover member and reassembled in the shallow receptacle member to provide a writing platform or removed completely from the case and reassembled to provide a bookstand. There is also provided a flip chart attachment which is adapted to be detachably mounted on the platform member when the case has been converted into a lectern.

Referring to the drawings, there is provided a substantially rectangularly shaped portable traveling case 16 of the conventional attache type comprising a shallow receptacle member 11 having a bottom wall 12, a front wall 13, a rearwall i4 and side walls 15 and 16, and a shallow cover member 17 having a top wall 18, a front wall 1%, a rear wall Na and side walls 2% and 21. The receptacle member and the cover member are hingedly secured together along the edges of the rear walls thereof. The portable case also is provided with a handle 22 attached to the front wall 13 of the receptacle member 11 and with suitable fastening means 23 and 2d for fastening the cover member to the receptacle member.

Hingedly secured to and detachable from the cover member is a rectangularly shaped platform member 25 having turned-down flange portions 26 and 27 along the side edges thereof, a turned-down flange portion 28 along the rear edge thereof and an upturned flange portion 29 along the front edge thereof. The platform member is hingedly attached to suitable brackets 30, 30 disposed on the inside surfaces of the side walls 2d and 21 of the cover member adjacent the front Wall 19 by means of a transversely extending rod member 31 extending through suitable openings in the rearward ends of the turned-down flange portions 2-6 and 27 of the platform member and journaled in recesses 30a, 36a in brackets 38, 3% which open toward the front wall 19. The brackets 30, 39 are spaced a suflicient distance from the front wall 19 of the cover member so that the end portions of the rod member 31 can be inserted between the brackets 30, 3t and the front wall 19 and moved into the recesses when the platform member is being attached to the cover member. It will be appreciated that the platform member will be supported by the brackets in a number of desired positions and can be removed therefrom only by lifting the platform member substantially upwardly toward the front wall 19 to remove the end portions of the rod member from the recesses in the brackets 3d, 30.

Hingedly attached to the forward ends of the turneddown flange portions 2s and 27 of the platform member is a support leg 32 comprising aligned end portions 33 and 3d, converging portions 35 and 36 and an intermediate portion 37 which is formed substantially parallel to the aligned end portions 33 and 34. A leg member 38 having a bifurcated end portion 3% is mounted on the rod member 31 for pivotal movement in a plane perpendicular to the platform member.

The platform member 25 is adapted to fit within the cover member 1'7 when hingeldly secured in brackets 30, 30 so that the leg members 32 and 38 can be swung toward and disposed adjacent the under side of the platform member and the platform member can be swung downwardly into the cover member 17 for stowage when the platform member is not in use. It will be appreciated that this will provide sufiicient space in the receptacle port leg 32.

member for papers and other items to be carried in the case. When the portable case is to be converted into a lectern, the cover member is opened to its extended, substantially vertical position, the platform member is swung outwardly and upwardly permitting the leg member 32; to swing downwardly and the bottom portion thereof to be positioned in'a groove 4% formed in a suitable support block member 41 disposed on the inside of the front wall 13 of the receptable member. It will be noted that the height of the support block member is less than the height of the front wall 13 and the'groove as extends transversely, parallel to the front wall 13 and is adapted to receive the intermediate portion 37 of the sup- .As illustrated in FIGURES 3 and 4, whenever it is desired to use a flip chart with the porta le case havin I been converted into a lectern, there is provided a flip chart attachment 4-2 comprising an elongated base mem- 7 ber 43 having a plurality of separable hoop members 44 and a pair of leg members 45 and 456 having end portions 7 47 and 43 which are adapted to be received within a pair of spaced openings 4-9 and 59 in the platform member 25.

posite the hi her and said support member having a second leg member hingcdly attached thereto having positioning disposed at the free end thereof cooper-able with said first leg member to provide a support frame assembly for said supportmember when said support member is detached from said cover member and reassembled as a separate boolzstand. a 2. A portable traveling case adapted to be converted into a portable iectern having a, portion thereof'adapted to be detached therefrom and reassembled to' provide a boolrstand comprising. a substantially rcctangularly shaped receptacle member, a substantially rectangularly shaped cover member hingedly attached to said receptacle member, a platform member hingedly attached to and detachable from said cover member adjacent a free edge opposite thehinged edge thereof, said platform member having a first leg member hinge ly attached thereto adjacent a front free edge opposite the hinged edge thereof, support means disposed on said receptacle member for supporting said first leg member and said platform member having a second leg member hingediy attached thereto having positioning means disposed at the free end thereof cooperable with said first leg member when platfonm here can be turned in the direction of the arrows to be a suspended along the top surface of the cover member,

Referring to FIGURE 4, whenever it isfdesired to convert the base into a' Writing desk, the platform member 25 is detached from the bracket members 3d, 3d theleg members 32 and 38 are swung toward and held adjacent the underside thereof while the platform member 25 is placed in the receptacle member so that the end portions of'the rod member 31 are seated in recesses in suitable brackets 52,, 52 disposed on the inner surfaces of the side walls 15 and 16 of the receptacle member adjacent the rear wall 14- and the front portion of the platform member is supported on the support block member 4-1 disposed adjacent the front wall 13. To permit removal or" the platform member from the receptacle member there is' provided an opening 53 in the platform member adjacent the front edge thereof to accommodate the insertion of a finger therein for lifting the platform member upwardly. To utilize the platform member as a bookstand, the platform member is removed from the portable case and re- From the foregoing detailed description, it will be evident that there are a number of changes, adaptations and modifications of the present invention which come within the province of those skilled in the art. However, it is intended'that all such variations not departing from a the spiritrof the invention, be considered as within the scope thereof as limited solely by the appended claims.

What'I claim is: i a .1. A portable traveling case adapted to be converted into a portable lectern having a portion thereof adapted to be detached therefrom and reassembled to provide a bookstand comprising a receptacle member, a cover member hingedly attached to said receptacle member, a sup-' port member bingedly attached to and detachable from said cover member adjacent a front free edge opposite the hinged connection thereof with said receptacle member,'said support member having a first leg member hingedly attached thereto adjacent a front free'edge opmember with attached leg member is detached from said cover me r and reassembled as a separate bookstand to provide a support frarne'ass'embly therefor.

3. A portable'traveling case adapted to be converted into'a portable lectern having a portion thereof adapted to be detached therefrom and reassembled to provide a bookstand comprising'a' shallow receptacle member having a substantially rectangularlyshaped'bottom wall, a front robe wall, a rear wall and side Walls, a shallow cover member having a substantially rectangularly'shaped top Wall, a front Wall, a rear wall and side walls and having the rear wall thereof hingedly attached to the rear wall of said receptacle member, a platform. member hingedly attached within and detachable from said cover member adjacent the front wall thereof so that said platformmember can be swung toward and receivedwithin said cover member, said platform member having a first leg member hingedly attached thereto adjacent a front free edge opposite the hinged edge thereof so that said firstieg member can be pivoted toward and disposed adjacent the bottom surface of said platform member when said platform member is pivoted toward and received within said cover member, support means disposed on said receptacle member adjacent said front wall thereof forsupporting said first leg member, said platform member having a second legmember hingedlyattached thereto so that said second leg member can be pivoted toward and disposed adjacent the bottom surface of said platform member when said platform member is pivoted toward and received within said cover member and said second leg member having positioning means disposed at thefree end thereof cooperable with said first leg member when said platform member is detached from said cover member and reassembled as a separate bookstand to provide a support frame assembly therefor. j

4. A portable traveling case adapted to be converted into either a lectern or a writing desk comprising a receptacle member, a cover member hingedly attached to said receptacle member, a support member hingedly attached to and detachable from said cover member adjacent a front free edge oppositefthe hinged connection thereof with said receptacle member so that said support member can be pivoted toward and disposed adjacent said cover member, said support member having a leg member hingedly attached thereto adjacent a front free edge opposite the hinged connection thereof with said cover member, a first support means disposed in said receptacle member'for'supporting said leg member when said support member is pivotedaway. from said cover member and said leg member is pivoted downwardly away from said cover member and a, second support means disposed in raged connection thereof with said cover met said receptacle for supporting said support member with said first support means when said support member is detached from said cover member, said leg member is pivoted toward and disposed adjacent the bottom surface of said support member and said support member is inserted in said receptacle member.

5. A portable traveling case adapted to be converted into either a lectern or a writing desk comprising a substantially rectangularly shaped receptacle member, a substantially rectangularly shaped cover member hingedly attached to said receptacle member, a platform member hingedly attached to and detachable from said cover member adjacent a free edge opposite the hinged edge thereof so that said platform member can be pivoted toward and disposed adjacent said cover member, said platform member having a leg member hingedly attached thereto adjacent a front free edge opposite the hinged edge thereof, first suport means disposed in said receptacle member for supporting said support leg member when said platform member is pivoted away from said cover member and said support leg member extends downwardly from said cover member and second support means disposed in said receptacle member for supporting said platform member with said first support means when said platform member is detached from said cover member, said leg member is pivoted upwardly against the bottom surface of said platform member and said platform memher is inserted in said receptacle member.

6. A portable traveling case adapted to be converted into either a lectern or a writing desk, having a portion thereof adapted to be detached therefrom and reassembled to provide a bookstand comprising a receptacle member, a cover member hingedly attached to said receptacle member, a support member hingedly attached to and detachable from said cover member adjacent a front free edge opposite the hinged connection thereof with said receptacle member so that said support member can be swung toward and disposed adjacent said cover member, said support member having a first leg member hingedly attached thereto adjacent a front free edge opposite the hinged connection thereof with said cover member, a first support means disposed in said receptacle member for supporting said first leg member when said support member is pivoted away from said cover member and said first leg member extends downwardly from said support member, said support member having a second leg member hingedly attached thereto adjacent said hinged connection thereof with said cover member, said leg members being hingedly attached to said support member so that said leg members can be swung toward and disclosed adjacent the bottom surface of said support member when said support member is swung toward and disposed adjacent the bottom surface of said cover member in a stowage position, second support means disposed in said receptable member for supporting said support member with said first support means when said support member is detached from said cover member, said leg members are swung toward and disposed adjacent the bottom surface of said support member and said support member is inserted in said receptacle member and said second leg member having positioning means disposed at the free end thereof cooperable with said first leg member when said support member is detached from said cover member and reassembled as a separate bookstaud to provide a support frame therefor.

7. A portable traveling case adapted to be converted into either a lectern or a portable desk, having a portion thereof adapted to be detached therefrom and reassembled to provide a bookstand comprising a substantially rectangularly shaped receptacle member, a substantially rectangul-arly shaped cover member hingedly attached to said receptacle member, a platform member hingedly attached to and detachable from said cover member adjacent a free edge opposite the hinged edge thereof, said platform member having a first leg member hingedly attached thereto adjacent a front free edge opposite the hinged edge thereof, a first support means disposed in said receptacle member for supporting said first leg member when said plat-form member is pivoted away from said cover member and said first leg member extends downwardly from said platform member, said platform member having a second leg member hingedly attached thereto adjacent the hinged connec tion thereof with said cover member, said leg members being hingedly attached to said platform member so that said leg members can be swung toward and disposed adjacent the bottom surface of said platform member when said platform member is swung toward and disposed adjacent the bottom surface of said cover member in a stowage position, second support means disposed in said receptacle member for supporting said platform member with said first support means when said platform member is detached from said cover member, said leg members are swung toward and disposed adjacent the bottom surface of said platform member and said platform member is inserted in said receptacle member and said second leg member having positioning means disposed at the free end thereof cooperab-le with said first leg member when said platform member is detached from said cover member and reassembled as a separate bookstand to provide a support frame assembly therefor.

8. A portable traveling case adapted to be converted into either a lectern having a display support means or a writing desk, having a portion thereof adapted to be detached therefrom and reassembled to provide a book stand comprising a receptacle member, a cover member hingcdly attached tosaid receptacle member, a support member hingedly attached to and detachable from said cover member adjacent a front free edge opposite the hinged connection thereof with said receptacle memher so that said support member can be swung toward and disposed adjacent said cover member, said support member having a firs-t leg member hingedly attached thereto adjacent a front free edge opposite the hinged connect-ion thereof with said cover member, a first support means disposed in said receptacle member for supporting said first leg member when said support member is pivoted away from said cover member and said first leg member extends downwardly from said support member and positioned on said first support means to provide a lectern, a chart retaining means detachably mounted on said support member when said case is converted into a lectern, said support member having a second leg member hingedly attached thereto adjacent said hinged connection thereof with said cover member, said leg members being hingedly attached to said support member so that said leg members can be swung toward and disposed adjacent the bottom surface of said support member when said support member is swung toward and disposed adjacent the bottom surface of said cover member in a stowage position, second support means disposed in said receptacle member for supporting said support member with said first support means when said support member is detached from said cover member, said leg members are swung toward and disposed adjacent the bottom surface of said support member and said support member is inserted in said receptacle member and said second leg member having positioning means disposed at the free end thereof cooperable with said first leg member when said support member is detached from said cover member and reassembled as a separate bookstand to provide a support frame assembly therefor.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATESPATENTS 321,961 7/85 Ganick --11 1,499,361 7/24 Freund 19042 X FRANKLIN T. GARRETT, Primary Examiner. 

1. A PORTABLE TRAVELLING CASE ADAPTED TO BE CONVERTED INTO A PORTABLE LECTERN HAVING A PORTION THEREOF ADAPTED TO BE DETACHED THEREFROM AND REASSEMBLED TO PROVIDE A BOOKSTAND COMPRISING A RECEPTACLE MEMBER, A COVER MEMBER HINGEDLY ATTACHED TO SAID RECEPTACLE MEMBER, A SUPPORT MEMBER HINGEDLY ATTACHED TO AND DETACHABLE FROM SAID COVER MEMBER ADJACENT A FRONT FREE EDGE OPPOSITE THE HINGED CONNECTION THEREOF WITH SAID RECEPTACLE MEMBER, SAID SUPPORT MEMBER HAVING A FIRST LEG MEMBER HINGEDLY ATTACHED THERETO ADJACENT A FRONT FREE EDGE OPPOSITE THE HINGED CONNECTION THEREOF WITH SAID COVER MEMBER AND SAID SUPPORT MEMBER HAVING A SECOND LEG MEMBER HINGEDLY ATTACHED THERETO HAVING A POSITIONING MEANS DISPOSED AT THE FREE END THEREOF COOPERABLE WITH SAID FIRST 